Dark Tranquillity Album: “Gallery”

Swedish melodic death metal has become one of the few distinct underground genres. With bands like At the Gates, In Flames, Children of Bodom, and now Dark Tranquility, the genre cannot be anymore ready to break out and take the world by storm. This particular album by Dark Tranquility is in my opinion one of the most important albums of the 90's. The voice is terrifying yet soothing, angry yet comforting. This album transcends perfection. Critics say that death metal bands never sound like they enjoy what they are playing, Dark Tranquillity proves this is nothing but falsehood.

"The Gallery" is the jewel in the crown of Dark Tranquillity's god-like back catalogue, and given the quality of the competition, that's saying something. Whenever I listen to it, I'm always amazed at how such a powerful, emotive, sensual piece of art can exist. Make no mistake; this is not only the greatest album ever to emerge from the Gothenburg scene. "The Gallery" is almost as close to perfection as music can be.

The real brilliance of "The Gallery" does not lie in technical skill, although to say that the likes of Niklas Sundin and Anders Jivarp are unskilled would be completely untrue. Datk Tranquillity's real genius lies in their arrangements and songwriting. This may seem like a bold statement, but I believe that in these areas, Dark Tranquillity are unmatched. Not even Opeth, who are renowned for writing songs which rival classical symphonies, can match Dark Tranquillity in this one area. The guitars, bass and drums here harmonise in a way so perfect that it's hard to believe they were written by mere humans. Each instrument compliments each other perfectly, none dominating but all contributing to the artistic beauty of "The Gallery." The guitars and bass (and you can actually hear the bass in this album - that's always a good sign), far from being an assault on the senses like so many other heavy metal albums before and since, consist mainly of tremolo picking, the tempo often varying, intertwining around each other to create a lush, melodic, organic atmosphere. Many other, lesser melodic death bands rely on synths almost exclusively to provide melody (Children Of Bodom, I'm looking at you) as a way to get around really putting their backs into making the arrangements work, but thankfully, Dark Tranquillity's melody comes from a higher work of musicianship. Occasionally acoustic guitars and pianos will also kick in to provide a softer interlude in songs like "Edenspring."

The drumming also deserves recognition as a feat of songwriting skill. Anders Jivarp's rhythms, rather than just using repetitive beats at a fixed tempo to provide the music with solidity, provides "The Gallery" with a third thread in it's weave of musicianship and establishes another layer in its melody. He makes full use of the toms and cymbals without disregarding the snare drum, with occasional bursts on the double bass pedal to add energy when the time is right. This is a heavy metal album after all.

And then of course, there's Mikael Stanne. On "The Gallery," he's at the top of his game, belting out agonised yet hauntingly emotive shrieks that put even his counterpart in At The Gates, Tomas Lindberg, to shame. There is a distinct similarity between him and Mikael Akerfeldt in the early days of Opeth. However, unlike Opeth, his voice sits at precisely the correct level in the mix; you can turn "The Gallery" up to a decent volume without the vocals becoming grating, but the chances of anyone considering them too quiet are precisely none. Female vocals performed by Eva-Marie Larsson can also be found on the tracks "The Gallery," "Lethe" and "...Of Melancholy Burning," which are very beautiful and near classical in tone. One notable moment is on "...Of Melancholy Burning," when one of Eva-Marie's oparetic calls slowly merges with a monstrous howl from Stanne, creating an odd, yet extremely cool effect.

I really don't have anything bad to say about this album. Each song is a masterpiece, a work of art each in it's own unique way. The only pity is that Dark Tranquillity never wrote anything like it again. In my own opinion, "The Gallery" is absolutely essential to anyone who enjoys music in any way shape or form, one of - if not THE - deepest, most layered, most rewarding albums you will ever hear. It is tangible proof that heavy metal is as much an art form as anything else.

Wow! This album just crushes! All the tracks completly rule but the album is worth buying for the song "punish my heaven" alone.

Stanne's vocals almost reach the engery level of Lunar strain(and that's a good thing). The emotion in Stannes vocals are just amazing, it sounds like he really means it's and almost like he experienced it himself.

This album has very varied songs and some become very brutal at times but always accessible and melodic. The production is also very very good as you can hear every musician play. Very tight musicianship, superb dual guitar leads and solo's, technical high precision drumming, great basslines, and some really cool female vocals(only in a few tracks not overused but just right).

As people always tend to draw comparisons to In Flames I'll give it a try as well. I think In Flames put more emphasis om creating highly catchy melodies where as with Dark Tranquillity it's a little deeper buried and weaved in the songs, also the overall song structures are a bit more technical in the DT department and have a more gloomy and dark atmosphere. I don't think one is better than the other though, it's just a matter of personal preferrence or what mood you are in.

This cd is a must for every melodic death metal fan.

This is one of the 3 classic melodic death metal releases of the mid 90's (along with The Jester Race by In Flames and Slaughter of the Soul by At The Gates) The Gallery never quite recieved the same level of fame as the other two but it may possibly be the most ambitious of them all. All the tracks are are very well done and contain many different parts. There is endless amounts of time changes to keep you on your feet and plenty of melody to keep things listenable (and interesting). Mikeal Stane's growl is very menacing but still not too grating on the ears. This combined with the intense speed makes this album a fairly brutul sounding one. Fans of the genre or the band must own this album as it is a classic that still holds up today against the newer releases. 4.5 of 5

Ever since I acquired a fetish for melodic death metal, I've looked into a lot of bands that are classified in the genre. Dark Tranquillity was one of them. The Gallery was the first CD I bought by them, and it certainly won't be my last. This album is filled with bone-crushing heaviness, melodic beauty, and mythical lyrics. Above all, it has an atmosphere that is unlike any other metal album I've heard.

I'm glad I didn't review this as soon as I listened to it for the first time, because otherwise, it would'nt have been so positive. Dark Tranquillity is a lot heavier than other melodeath bands I've heard. You could probably even argue they're borderline black metal, but with a melodic sensibility. But I let it grow on me, and after a while I recognized for the masterpiece that it is.

The first track, Punish My Heaven, opens up with drums, and then really fast, schizophrenic guitars and bass interwind with each other, and Mikeal Stanne lets out a "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!" that catches you completely off guard. It gives you a good feel for what the rest of the album will sound like. The following track, Silence And The Firmanent Withdrew, is a lot more melodic, but no less evil. Other great tracks are the title track, The Dividing Line, The One Brooding Warning, The Emptiness From Which I Fed, and ...Of Melancholy Burning. But the whole album is pure melodic death bliss. My favorite song is by far the title track: The lyrics, instruments, atmosphere.... everything in this song is top notch. The lyrics are a good representation of the album cover, and the artwork throughout the sleeve of the album. What makes it even cooler is the female vocals (done by Eva Marie Larsson) that wail during the acoustic guitar interlude. This is also used on ...Of Meloncholy Burning.

The best part about The Gallery is that even in its most musically complex parts, it still feels very atmospheric and seems to just serve the music. Mikeal Stanne can hold a growl for a very, very long time. Just listen to his shrieks on Punish My Heaven and The Dividing Line. Even when he sing clean vocals, they're still pretty gritty and low. Frederik Johansson and Anders Jivarp make an awesome guitar duo; they also interwind solos on Punish My Heaven and The Emptiness From Which I Fed. Martin Henricksson's basslines are ACTUALLY audible! Not only that, but his basslines are very intricate and complex, not just the same-old-same-old that other metal bands use. And Niklas Sundin's drumming is very unique. I say this because even when using double bass kicks, his drums glide over you, if that makes sense.

The only time the album gives you a breather is the instrumental Mine is The Grandeur...., which is soothing, folksy-sounding acoustic guitars, but that is interrupted as soon as .... Of Melancholy Burning kicks in. Mine Is The Granduer is basically the prelude to ... of Melancholy Burning (Mine Is The Grandeur of Melancholy Burning). It's also the only other track to use female vocals.

Inside the album sleeve, there are fragments of art scattered on the sides. Some of the pictures include a raven, lava, forests, and others I don't know what the hell they are. But that doesn't matter because each picture is very cool and interesting.

The reissue contains 5 covers: Bringer of Torture by Kreator, Sacred Reich by Sacred Reich, 22 Arcia Avenue by Iron Maiden, Lady In Black by King Diamond, and My Friend of Misery by Metallica. I haven't heard the originals to be perfectly honest, but I can tell you that DT do an excellent cover of each of these songs, and could fit in right with the rest of the album.

Like I said before, The Gallery is my only DT record, but after being blown away by it, I plan to get my hands on every CD I can find by tis awesome band. Even if you only like metal a little bit, I STRONGLY recommend you buy The Gallery the first chance you get. The lyrics are intriguing, the musicianship is great, the vocals are intimidating yet strangely emotive, and the atmosphere is priceless.

P.S. And don't you just love the cover art?